On a warm Saturday in October, conservationist Dean Wilson guided his boat through a channel in the Atchafalaya Basin, pointing out hollowed-out Bald cypress trees where minks, raccoons and otters nest during high water.
The basin is the largest remaining contiguous track of wetland forest in North America — and a place Wilson knows well.
Read MoreHowdy folks! I had to come here to clear up some of the messaging going around social media, and regular media regarding the potential for Arctic air to move into Louisiana by late next weekend into the week after. Along with this cold, some models are showing the potential for wintry precipitation across Louisiana. Here’s the crazy thing. We just did this over the last 10 days.
Read MoreLouisiana corn area harvested is 440,000, down 35 percent from 2023. The average yield is estimated at 185 bushels per acre, up 10 bushels from last year. Production totaled 81.4 million bushels, down 32 percent from 2023.
Upland cotton harvested acres is 148,000, up 29 percent from 2023. The yield is expected to average 1,070 pound.
Read MoreThe Farm Business Management and Benchmarking (FBMB) Competitive Grants Program provides funds for improving the farm management knowledge and skills of agricultural producers by maintaining and expanding a national, publicly available farm financial management database to support improved farm management.
Read MoreMore farmers may be seeking USDA Farm Service Agency direct and guaranteed loans this winter because of the financial situations they find themselves in due to multiple years of high input costs, low commodity prices and adverse weather conditions.
For that reason, they need to be aware that FSA administrators have launched several new programs aimed at improving the lending process, including a Farm Loan Assistance Tool designed to help guide them through USDA’s lending programs.
Read MoreThe International Longshoremen’s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance tentatively agreed to a new contract Wednesday night, averting a strike at East and Gulf coast ports. The two sides had been engaged in extended negotiations for the past three months following a brief dockworker strike in October.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) warns of potential fish kills along the coast as freezing temperatures and an arctic blast sweep across the state. Fisheries biologist Jason Adriance says water temperatures haven’t dropped enough yet.
“We still have water temperatures in the low-50 to mid-60. So, this is just a reminder to folks to be aware that this can happen.”
Read MoreAfter multiple substitute motions to align the Rapides Parish School Board 2025-26 calendar with dates for the Rapides Parish Fair, members decided to delay action until a special meeting later this month.
Member Sandra Franklin started the 35-minute conversation when she said the board needed "to start investing in our young people and options." Louisiana is a state heavily invested in agriculture and forestry, she said, and students should be educated about that.
Read MoreSustainability is now a key component in cotton production around the world. And no more so than in the U.S., where cotton growers have multiple industry and corporate options for participation. Many dedicated people have invested many hours in developing, nurturing, and driving these programs to their current levels over the past several years.
Among all of those folks, you’ll find Ted Schneider.
Read MoreThe New Year brings joy and hope for another successful cotton year. While the beginning of the year saw prices fall below 68 cents, the market still projects a recovery to the 72-cent level. Yet, most fundamentals point to lower prices, at least until the expiry of the March futures contract.
Read MoreIn 2022, 39% of agricultural land was rented – a proportion that has remained relatively stable for over 50 years. When deciding how to acquire land, rising farm real estate values can be a valuable asset or an extra hit to growing production expenses. Farmers and ranchers who operate a mix of owned and rented land make up over half of agricultural land in production and are affected by both sides of land value spikes.
Read MoreThe year 2024 is history! What will the year 2025 bring? No one knows, but we all have opinions, answers and questions. Let’s look back at the year 2024 to gain some perspective. Looking at the cattle industry we notice one theme, “Record Breaking”. Yes, the industry has broken many records.
Read MoreThe Rice Technical Working Group (RTWG), which convenes every two years, bringing together research and extension faculty, and rice industry professionals to exchange information, engage in cooperative planning, and review rice research, will meet February 17-20 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel.
The RTWG has grown to become one of the largest rice-focused meetings in the country, with more than 300 participants from around the world attending the 2023 meeting.
Read MoreGovernor Jeff Landry announced appointments to the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System and Board of Regents, including Ted Glaser of Pointe Coupee Parish.
Read MoreLouisiana’s Chronic Wasting Disease news took another turn for the worse last week when a state agency reported three more positive cases in captive deer facilities in three new parishes. The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry said it detected the cases while investigating movement records following a CWD positive test found in a Jeff Davis Parish facility in November.
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